Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscus

Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Pyrénées National Park

In 3 days <5%

15 Verified sightings at Pyrénées National Park From 2019 to 2026
10,059 In all 33 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lesser Black-backed Gull

The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic and Arctic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especially along the east coast. Formerly just a winter visitor to North America, it now occurs in large numbers some winters and birds are recorded year-round. However, there is serious concern about decline in many parts of its range. The species is on the UK Amber List because the UK is home to 40 per cent of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten breeding sites.

The lesser black-backed gull was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name Larus fuscus. The scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and fuscus meant black or brown.

Five subspecies are accepted: The lesser black-backed gull is smaller than the European herring gull. The taxonomy of the herring gull / lesser black-backed gull complex is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:10

Italy · 2025

© Francesco Sottile · XC1065457 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call1:13

United Kingdom · 2025

© Anthony McGeehan · XC1023979 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Nocturnal flight call0:27

France · 2024

© Stanislas Wroza · XC935250 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~40%
2 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~40%
3 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
4 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
5 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
6 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
7 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
8 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
12 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
14 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
15 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
16 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Svalbard 🇳🇴 Norway
<5%
18 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
19 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
20 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
21 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
23 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
24 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
25 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
26 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
27 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
28 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
29 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
30 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
31 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
32 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~80%
2 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~60%
3 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~60%
4 Tangier 🇲🇦 Morocco
~60%
5 Casablanca 🇲🇦 Morocco
~50%
6 Rabat 🇲🇦 Morocco
~50%
7 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%
8 Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal
~40%
9 Kuwait City 🇰🇼 Kuwait
~40%
10 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 Netherlands
~40%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Copenhagen Zoo 🇩🇰 Denmark In captivity
2 Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Le Marais aux Oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
5 Ecomare 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
6 Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Pyrénées National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Black-backed Gull sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 149th most-seen of the 174 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Pyrénées National Park?

November

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Black-backed Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Pyrénées National Park the best place to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull?

31st of 33

Of the 33 parks where we can rate Lesser Black-backed Gull sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 40%), Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 40%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 30%).

Where does the Lesser Black-backed Gull sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Black-backed Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Pyrénées National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Pyrénées National Park